


Ghosted

by orphan_account



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Amputation, Angst, Broken Bones, Brotherly Love, Danger Days Era, Desert, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Infection, Sad Ending, Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:07:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22565236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: While shooting a new music video, the boys find themselves stranded in the desert with an injured singer. As time passes by, the question arises: How far would you go to save a friend?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Ghosted

Ray Toro squinted his eyes as the hot desert sun glared into them. He looked away from the window into the interior of the bus, where the Way brothers were huddled around a laptop, discussing the video they were about to shoot. Meanwhile, Frank Iero sat by the window across from him, smoking a cigarette lazily.

"Would you put that thing out?" Ray asked Frank. "It's hot enough out here already."

Frank threw Ray a slightly dirty look before blatantly taking another puff. "I need it to relax."

The fact was that they were all a little tense at the moment. It was not only the day of the long awaited shooting for The Only Hope For Me Is You music video, but it was also probably the hottest day of the summer. Yet the heat was hammering down on Ray Toro particularly hard. Damn hair.

He took a deep breath and ended up only inhaling more of Frank's smoke. Unable to take it any longer, he sprung up and grabbed the cigarette from Frank's hand, opened the window, and threw it out.

"THE FUCK?!?" Frank shrieked at him, causing Mikey and Gerard's heads to snap in their direction.

"Seriously Frank, I don't know why you'd want smoke right now at all!' Ray threw his arms in the air. "Its fucking boiling out here."

"Is the air on?" Gerard asked.

"Full blast." sighed Ray.

A disgruntled Frank mumbled something containing the word "whatever" and went back to staring out the window. He did not however, get to see much. Within 15 minutes, they were at their destination. Once the bus came to a halt, everyone inside the bus came scrambling out.

When they got there, the first thing they had to do was costume fitting. Gerard frowned as he noticed his Party Poison jacket was a bit too tight. He looked at his reflection in the mirror as he wore it, trying to suck in his stomach as much as he could.

“You look brilliant.” Frank said behind him, as though already knowing his thoughts. Gerard smiled at him and waited for him to put on his Fun Ghoul outfit before going over to the filming crew for their next instructions.

Once they got there, they were told it would be at least an hour before everything was ready. “There's nothing you can really do but wait.” A crew member said. “If you guys want, you can have your lunch now. We’ll call you when we’re ready.”

The boys looked at one another.

“I am pretty hungry.” Pitched in Mikey who clenched at his stomach as though trying to illustrate it’s emptiness.

“Alright.” Shrugged Gerard.

“There’s a nice ledge over there we can sit on.” Frank pointed slightly upwards to the east.

“Let’s go get the food from the bus then.” Nodded Ray.

And so they did. They threw sandwiches, chips, portable salads, and condiments into a traditional picnic basket that Ray had brought from home. They told the crew they’d be back, and head out where Frank had pointed.

While it was a rather high climb, it was also a very pleasant view when they actually got there. There was a lovely overview of the desert and its hills and cliffs. They could see the bus and the crew below them, miniature in size.

They sat and talked, each of them feeling in a much better mood now that they were actually there. A very slight breeze even graced them with its presence from time to time. The chipper atmosphere allowed Ray to apologize to Frank about earlier. “Nahhh, its cool man. You owe me a fuckin' cigarette though.” He teased.

They talked of their usual geeky chatter, and laughed at each other’s jokes, all the while enjoying the food that Lindsey had packed for them. They ended up having such a good time, that time itself sort of slipped away.

“Holy shit.” Frank remarked as he looked at his phone, “We’ve been out here for almost 3 hours.”

“We should probably head back.” Gerard agreed.

“I wonder why they haven’t called us yet…” Ray pondered.

They packed away their things and started heading downwards. However, along the way, they met a small hitch in their plans.

It was just when they were almost at the bottom when Frank, Ray, and Mikey heard an alarming scream. They each looked around in different directions, but it was Frank who identified the source of the noise first.

“Gerard!” Frank cried out.

Mikey and Ray both turned to where Frank was staring. Gerard was sprawled out on the side of the ledge awkwardly, his leg bending at a strange angle, his face contorted in pain.

“Gee!” Mikey scrambled over to get his brother. Ray and Frank went to go help. Eventually they were able to carry a howling Gerard down to the bottom of the ledge. It was there that they laid him down on the floor to examine him.

“Well he obviously broke his leg.” Ray pointed out, staring at the mangled limb. An area around the shin had snapped, and some bone could be seen protruding from an open wound.

“Can we fix it?” asked Frank.

“Yeah, but don’t count on us doing much shooting today.” Mikey sighed. He looked down at his brother who was twitching and whimpering.

“You’re going to be okay Gerard.” Frank comforted their singer, “We’re just going to get you back to the bus and patch you up, then we’ll take you home, okay?”

Gerard only grimaced in response.

“C’mon, let’s get out of here.” Ray rushed them, wanting to get Gerard help as soon as possible.

They picked up Gerard again, both Ray and Mikey supporting him on each side. The hot desert sun was suddenly much more difficult to walk in, especially with an injured man between them. However, the bus could not be too far off, right? They had remembered it only being about a three minute walk.

However the bus did not appear three minutes later. Nor did it appear fifteen minutes later, nor thirty. Nor did it appear one hour later. Even when sun down began to rear its head, all that could be seen was sand and rock.

“We’re lost.” Ray finally admitted, panting from the heat.

“That’s impossible.” Frank scratched his head. “The bus was a straight shot from the ledge, there’s no way we could have missed it!”

Gerard groaned. They all exchanged worried glances at one another before Mikey said, “Well let’s just keep walking. It’s bound to be somewhere around here.”

They then resumed their search, becoming more and more bewildered by the minute. Until finally, one thing was clear: The bus was nowhere to be found.

~

It was not long before dusk arrived. The boys had no other choice but to find a place to rest -- Mikey and Ray were exhausted from carrying Gerard around, in addition to having to walk in this heat. Meanwhile, Gerard was no closer to feeling any better, and Frank seemed unable to get any reception on his cell phone.

"Look." Mikey motioned over to the left of them. There was what looked to be a wide cavern in the direction that he had indicated. While slightly dark and creepy, it had the one thing they had been yearning for for some time now: shade.

The boys walked over, dragging Gerard along with them. Finally they were able to set him down gently against the wall of the cave, Mikey and Ray's shoulders taking great relief. Ray took this opportunity to check to see if his cell phone had any bars.  
There was one.

"I'll try to call them." he said, still panting.

Ray called each member of the crew he knew the numbers of, including their bus driver. Yet alas, none of them answered. After trying a few more times, Ray realized that the reception he was receiving was quite scarce, and he should not waste time on using it to call people who were obviously not answering their phones.

"I'm going to call Christa." he decided, "I'll tell her we're stuck here and Gerard is injured. See if she can do anything else to help us."

Mikey and Frank nodded and Ray placed the call. Meanwhile Mikey tried his best to comfort Gerard while Frank tried to stretch out his leg in order to avoid more displacement.

After a few rings, Christa answered. Ray almost smiled hearing her voice. However, it instantly became clear that this was going to be a difficult conversation, as the reception made it so they could only say very choppy "hellos" to one another.

"Chris honey, can you hear me?" he practically yelled into the phone, desperate for her to hear him as clearly as possible, "Listen, we went to lunch during the filming and we got lost! We can't find the bus! Can you contact any of the crew or send someone to come get us? It's really hot out here and Gerard is injured! He broke his leg and he's in a lot of pain!"

"Are you fucking serious?" he heard Christa respond in disbelief, "Um.. yeah I can try to get someone over there. I'll call everyone I can. Where are you guys exactly?"

"We're in a cavern just about a mile from where the bus was! If they know where the bus was parked, its right by a ledge and the cavern is just like a mile from there!"

"Okay, well stay there. Hopefully I can get someone to you guys before the night is over."

"Bring some medical supplies if you can, yeah?" Ray asked, looking in Gerard's direction.

"I'll see what I can do." said Christa.

"Thanks baby! I love you!"

There was a beeping noise right as he said the last sentence. He looked at his phone and he saw that the call had been disconnected. He was almost going to call back when he saw how low the battery on his phone was. 26%. This would not even last him two more hours. Fucking iPhones. Figuring it was best to save as much battery as possible, Ray pocketed his phone.

He turned to Gerard.

"How are ya feeling buddy?" Ray asked him, brushing some of his bright red hair out of his face.

Gerard shrugged slightly, without looking at Ray. He had stopped screaming, but he seemed to be out of it. His breathing was shallow, his eyelids only half closed. The beads of sweat glistened across his skin, making it appear as though he was covered in glitter against the light of the setting sun.

"Get his jacket off of him." Mikey directed.

Frank unzipped the black Party Poison jacket and Gerard almost seemed to mumble in protest. Frank looked up at him and saw that he seemed slightly flushed. Frank knew he felt embarrassed about his body, as he had caught Gerard constantly staring at his own reflection as of lately. However, they had more pressing matters at the moment.

"We have to take this off Gee, it's too hot." Frank insisted.

Ray positioned Gerard so Frank could easily remove the constraining piece of clothing.

"See, isn't that better?" Frank asked him.

"Fine..." Gerard agreed begrudgingly. Still Frank saw Gerard suck in his stomach instantly, and he rolled eyes.

"So what did she say?" Mikey asked Ray.

"She said she'd call for someone to come get us. Hopefully before the night is over. We'll just have to tough it out until then." explained Ray.

"Gerard isn't exactly in good conditions for toughing anything out." Mikey said crossly.

"I know that, Mikey." Ray said in an annoyed tone, "But what choice do we have?"

"Well how are they going to find us?" asked Frank. Ray seemed hesitant to answer.

"Maybe someone should stand watch so they can flag them over when they come near." Gerard suggested.

"Well we can't have anyone going out there alone." said Ray. "How about two of us go outside and stand watch, and the other person can stay here with Gerard."

"Good plan." Frank agreed, "We can take turns."

They all nodded, and so it was. Mikey was the first to volunteer to stay with his brother, understandably so. This left Ray and Frank to be the ones to sit outside.

"Fucking fine day this turned out to be..." Frank scoffed as he lit another cigarette.

"Yeah, that is just our luck." sighed Ray.

"So worst case scenario, these guys don't show up tonight. What supplies do we even have?" asked Frank.

"Well...there's one blanket, some half eaten food... I do remember Mikey putting in a flask of vodka in the picnic basket." said Ray.

"Really?" Frank perked up at the notion.

"Yeah, but if we stay here much longer, Gerard might need it for his leg."

"Fuck."

"I hear ya brother." Ray frowned.

They sat in silence for a while, staring at the sky. Night was already upon them, and the stars and moon gave them little light. They just kept watching out for any signs of movement. Until finally, Ray piped up.

"Well, we could take a couple of shots." he suggested, "Just to last us through the night. I'm sure help will come soon anyway."

Frank grinned and immediately got up to run into the cavern. "Mikey!" he addressed the younger Way as he went past him, "We're going to have a drink, you want some?"

"SHH!" Mikey hushed him. Frank looked over to see Mikey looking at him angrily.

"He's sleeping...", Mikey explained in somewhat of a whisper.

Frank looked down to see Gerard had curled up on Mikey's lap, using the Party Poison jacket as a pillow. His eyes were shut, but his facial expression looked uneasy. Frank's spirits dampened as he remembered that Gerard was still fighting a great amount of pain. Frank remembered what Ray had said, and the alcohol suddenly seemed less appealing.

His shoulders sulked in defeat, Frank turned away. He walked back to Ray and simply said, "Fuck it."

Like Ray had said, Frank figured as he took another puff of his cigarette, help would come soon.

~

Mikey was awoken by a violent shaking. His eyes jerked open to see Frank standing over him, roughly trying to wake him. The next thing he saw was the sun in the distance.

"We're still here." Mikey pointed out the obvious.

"No one ever came." Frank shrugged, looking slightly deflated. "Would you mind standing watch for a while? I'm falling asleep over here."

Mikey saw that Frank did in fact look extremely tired and worn. He nodded and tried to get up, but then remembered the boy that had been perched on his lap all night. Mikey looked down at Gerard, who still seemed to be knocked out.

Mikey scooped up Gerard's head and had to twist around as he allowed Frank to replace him in his previous position before gently lowering Gerard's head onto Frank's lap. Gerard seemed to stir slightly but fell back into a state of sleep.

"Call me if he wakes up." Mikey said in a low voice before he turned and joined Ray.

Ray was looking not much better than Frank. His head would bob every now and then, but he kept looking around through squinted and bloodshot eyes. Mikey figured that Ray must have allowed Frank to sleep first, as he was just the kind of guy to do such a thing.

Mikey insisted to Ray that he should get some rest, and that he could watch out for help on his own. However Ray shrugged him off, insisting he was fine when that was obviously very far from the truth.

So they sat. And they waited. Still nothing met their ears but silence, and the occasional howl of the wind.

Soon enough, so did the growling of stomachs.

It was around this time that their red headed companion finally stirred. Frank called Mikey over, who gave Ray a quick shoulder squeeze before dashing over to his brother.

"Gerard..." Mikey kneeled over him, "How are you feeling?"

Gerard whined, the pain flooding back to him slowly but gradually as he came into awareness. He gripped at Frank's pants tightly, his hands balled into fists.

"I'll take that as not good." sighed Frank.

"Alright, well, I'm pretty hungry." said Mikey, "Let's try to get some food in all of us. Maybe that'll help Gerard feel better."

"We don't have very much." frowned Frank.

"We'll just have to ration, I guess." Mikey shrugged.

And so, Mikey took the sandwiches from the picnic basket and divided them each into four pieces. It was difficult as some of the sandwiches were already half eaten. He then got a couple of the water bottles and brought them over to Ray. Meanwhile, Frank helped Gerard up and had to practically carry him to where Ray and Mikey were so that they could all be gathered.

They all took their own small sandwich piece and consumed them, drinking them down with a shared water bottle. It quelled hunger for none of them, only making each of them wish they could have more food.

For four people who were used to constant five star restaurant feasts, the small ration they swallowed was almost like a little piece of torture.

"We can't have any more." Mikey sighed voicing everyone's thoughts, "We don't know how much longer we'll be here and we need to stretch out our food supply as much as we can."

They sat in silence for a moment, before the quiet state was broken by a retching noise. Beside Mikey, Gerard suddenly began vomiting on the ground, throwing back up whatever he had just consumed.

"Shit." Ray cursed.

"Why is he vomiting?" Frank wondered. A broken leg did not cause digestive problems as far as he knew.

Ray came closer and inspected Gerard's injury while Mikey rubbed Gerard's back soothingly. Ray had to tear open a part of Gerard's jeans, to reveal the area to its fullest extent.

"Shit." Ray repeated.

"What? What's wrong?" Mikey asked anxiously.

"His wound. Its infected." explained Ray.

Mikey craned his neck to see what Ray was seeing. Gerard's wound did look considerably worse, the area around it seeming reddened and swollen.

"Mikey..." Gerard said in a very frail voice, "I don't feel so good..."

"I know." Mikey consoled him, "It's going to be okay, Gee. Let's just get you back into the shade, shall we?"

Mikey lifted Gerard and carried him back into the inner part of the cavern, returning him to his spot against the wall of the cave. Ray followed.

"Here." he handed Mikey a small piece of sandwich, "Its half of my ration. I didn't eat it. Give it to Gerard, since he threw his up. He needs it more."

"Are you sure?" Mikey asked him uncertainly.

"Yeah, I'm not very hungry anyway." Ray claimed, clearly lying. Yet Mikey would not bother argue with the man.

"Thank you." Mikey said graciously as he took the piece from Ray's hand. He bent over and fed it to Gerard, who ate it quickly.

Frank walked over to them and suggested that Ray get some rest while he and Mikey continued the watch. Ray agreed and cozied up next to Gerard, placing a consoling arm around the boy as he winced and twitched.

By late afternoon, Gerard got considerably worse. The infection affected him greatly, and he developed a mild fever. Ray had called Mikey and Frank back inside to look him over, his nervousness at the singer's condition growing.

With a severely ill Gerard, dead or unserviced cell phones, and no sign of the promised rescue, the question finally arose: What if help never came?

"We can't stay here forever." Frank stated bluntly, "There's not enough supplies to even last us a week."

"We can't leave either." said Ray, "We have no idea where the next town, or any sign of life is. If we go looking for any, Gerard could easily die from overheating before we get anywhere near a place."

"He'll die without any food! So will the rest of us!" Frank argued, "And we don't have a lot of that right now!"

"Why don't we split up?" suggested Mikey, "You guys can go looking for a town, while I can stay here with Gee."

"Nu-uh." Ray shook his head, "Separation is too risky. What if we can't find you guys again? We already might lose one man, we don't want to lose both of you."

"Don't say that." Mikey muttered, seeming angered that Ray would even mention the possibility of losing his big brother.

"If we stay here, Gerard can only get worse." Frank enforced.

"I think he has way more of a fighting chance here, in a nice shaded cavern, than out there, in the blazing hot sun!" Ray snapped. ''..Besides, we don't know yet that the help isn't coming. Maybe they just got delayed or something. If we leave now, and we miss them, then we're fucked for sure!"

That last argument seemed to silence Frank. Both he and Ray then looked to Mikey as though asking for a tie breaker. Mikey thought for a moment before speaking.

"I agree...with Ray."

Frank made somewhat of a grunting noise, although Ray did not seem very happy either. He simply nodded in Mikey's direction. He then finalized his argument by saying, "It isn't a contest, Frank. This is a really serious situation. We'll stay here. We'll ration our food and water as much as we can, and wait -- "

"To rot." Frank interrupted, his arms crossed. Ray shot him a look but ignored him and continued.

" -- to see what develops."

With that, Ray left to go resume his post. Mikey went to go stay with him, despite the fact that this should have been his turn to sleep. He simply presumed that putting Frank and Ray in the same place would not be wise at the moment. And Frank went to sleep, giving a hurting Gerard a small kiss on the forehead beforehand.

~

Time passed on, and Gerard only got sicker. By the next day, he had developed a bad case of the chills, despite it being at least 90 degrees or over. Mikey bundled him in their only blanket and his own clothes, but nothing helped. And Gerard was starting to become disoriented.

Meanwhile, without actually saying it, each of the other three boys had begun to take their own roles for life in the cavern.

Ray, for example, felt in charge of the watching, as he did more than anyone else. He would decide whose turn it was to sleep, and whose turn it was to watch. Frank did his best to try to establish communication to the rest of the world, despite the fact that only Mikey's cell phone even had batteries at this point. Mikey fretted over Gerard, becoming rather possessive of his brother. He was also in charge of supply rationing. He would determine when they would eat, and how much they would eat. He insisted that they all eat at the same time, so they knew everyone was getting their fair share. No more, no less. As for Gerard, his job was to simply try to stay alive.

On one particular night, Gerard had the chills particularly bad. So Frank cradled him, singing to him softly in an effort to help him feel better. It was his turn to sleep, but it was difficult trying to get any shut eye when your friend was next to you, violently shaking and shuddering. During his song came a slight whisper.

"I-- I'm s-s-ss-cared Frank."

It was barely audible, still Frank heard it. The uttering of those words caused his heart to leap in his throat. He did not know what to say to that, and he almost thought of ignoring the fact that he had heard it at all.

Gerard should be scared. He should be very scared. They should all be really, but the risk of losing Gerard was higher than anyone else.

They had no medicine, and little food. If Frank knew anything about what he had seen in movies and read in books, Gerard was doomed if they did not find help soon. Still, he felt the need to comfort his friend as Gerard had done for him so many times before.

"It's going to be okay, Gee. I won't let anything happen to you." he frowned, feeling like a liar.

Still, even Gerard did not seem to believe that.

"Tell Bandit I love her f-f-for me..."

"...of course, Gee."

While he felt slightly selfish for doing so, Gerard's words only made him think of his own family.

Surely, they must have reported them as missing by now. How was poor Jamia holding up, dealing with a missing husband? What has she told Cherry and Lily?

As the thought of his babies came to mind, Frank looked at the mouth of the cavern. He could see Ray and Mikey's seated silhouettes, somewhat shrouded in the darkness. The idea of just running out, dashing to go find help struck him for the first time. Still he couldn't just leave Gerard here.

Could he?

It suddenly occurred to Frank that Gerard had stopped shaking. He looked down and saw that Gerard seemed to have fallen asleep, his eyelids gently shut. As he looked upon his best friend's sleeping form, the idea of leaving quickily fled from his mind.

At least, for now.

~

It was time to eat again.

The boys sat in their usual circle, ready to eat their measly morsels, to be drank down by heated water. Still, more besides the usual was bothering Frank and Ray today, and it was Frank who voiced it first.

"The rations are smaller.” he said as he looked down on what could barely be called a 'bite sized' portion in his hand.

"We're running out of food." Mikey explained bluntly.

"Already?" Ray raised an eyebrow, "I mean I know we didn't have much, but I didn't think we'd have to reduce to this so soon. What about the chips? Why don't we have some of those?"

"There were barely even crumbs in it." Mikey shrugged. He then abruptly turned and asked Gerard how he was feeling, as though to say he was done speaking on the subject.

"Bullshit." Frank threw down his ration and got up, separating himself from the others.

Gerard, Mikey, and Ray all stared after him, but no one dared to try to follow him.

"I'll talk to him later." Ray muttered to the other two.

They ate their petty food, which Gerard only ended up throwing out again, and left to resume their duties.

~

Soon, the weather became erratic. Nights became colder. Even their Killjoy costumes were not enough to shield them from the frosty temperature, especially for those who were expected to sit outside and watch. The only solution to this was the one blanket that they had. However, it was constantly being used by one particular person.

"We should all be able to share the blanket!" Ray demanded.

"Gerard needs it!" Mikey snapped back.

"I was the one who fucking brought it from home! Therefore I should be able to use it, yes?" Ray spat.

"You'd have my brother die because you’re a little cold?!?" Mikey hissed.

"You'd put the rest of us at risk just because ---"

"Stop!"

Mikey and Ray looked at Frank at first, assuming it had been him who piped up. Yet Frank was curled up in a ball against the wall of the cave, staring at Gerard.

"Gee?" Mikey turned to his brother.

Gerard was looking at them both, tearful and distraught. "Stop fighting, please -- just take the blanket. I- I don't want it any more."

Gerard shoved the blanket away as he said it, moving so meekly, so pitifully, that Ray's  
expression instantly softened.

"No, it's okay Gerard. You may have it." he sighed, his shoulders sulked in defeat. He then turned to Mikey, his expression hardening slightly. "...but you're sitting outside with Frank tonight."

"Fine." Mikey growled, seeming as though he had not been quite ready to stop arguing. He stomped outside without another word, and Frank followed him silently.

Ray sat down next to Gerard and dealt with an awkward pause for a little while. He then turned to him and said, "You know, I know I just said all that stuff...but I still really want you to pull through. I'm just scared for the rest of us too ya know, including Mikey. I’m sure you can relate."

Gerard said nothing, but as he had such difficulty speaking lately, the lack of words did not say much. A tired Ray wrapped his arms around himself as he felt a cold breeze waft into the cavern. He closed his eyes and hoped sleep would come to him soon.

When Ray woke next, it was still night. Yet, he felt unusually warm and comfortable. He looked down to see the blanket had been wrapped around him.

“Thanks, Gee.” he muttered groggily, still too tired to say much else. He heard a slight “No problem.” before he fell back into slumber and darkness.

~

As the bounty of their food and supplies died, tempers and attitudes began to rise. Time soon proved that no matter how much they had tried to deny it over the course of their ten year career, they were more rock stars than they thought they were.

The boys fought constantly. Ray and Frank still managed to form somewhat of an alliance, constantly questioning Mikey's methods for rationing. Ray's scheduling of shifts had also become a hot topic, both Mikey and Frank complaining that Ray was not allowing them enough sleep.

No one fought with Gerard, but it was clear that the only reason for this was pity. None of them wanted to upset Gerard for fear of agitating his condition. In front of him, they treated him as though the frailest flower, a fragile peice of already broken glass. They would speak in low voices when addressing him, and touch him very gently.

Yet Gerard still had his wits about him. He knew there was animosity towards him as well, even if no one would ever admit it to his face. He had heard whispers of how he was taking all the supplies, and it was his fault they were going so fast.

Still, what could he do? Die faster, so that they may have their precious supplies to themselves? Gerard felt somewhat disappointed that his friends were so quick to resent him, although he understood. He was very grateful for the amount of care they had been giving him. Yet it was quite obvious that Gerard was now merely a burden on their backs through the blazing path to survival.

He knew deep down that he was going to die here, yet he still desperately wanted to live. There was so much more he felt he had to say to both the world, and his loved ones. His last words to Lindsay and Bandit had been ordinary farewells, such as "see you later.". It was funny how you never got a really good perspective how incomplete your life is until it's slipping away from you.

Now, within a matter of three days, he could barely even speak. And it was a wonder, nay, a miracle that he was not dead already. Still, he knew his luck could only last for so long.

During a time when Mikey and Ray watched, while Frank slept, Gerard felt something poke him from within the pocket of his skin tight jeans. He fumbled for it, moving slowly in his weak state. Finally, he gripped the top of it and realized it was a marker. He had always carried pens and markers with him, mostly for the sake of autographs.

He pulled the black sharpie marker from it's hiding place and uncapped it, taking in it's familiar toxic smell. After staring at it for a few minutes, Gerard had an idea.

He had to twist himself slightly. Once he was facing the wall of the cave, he rubbed the tip of the marker against the stone in order to test it. Once he saw that it left a mark, he began to write:

For Lindsay Ann Way and Bandit Lee Way.

I don't know if I'll be able to make it home. My leg is infected, and I think its spreading. As I write this now, I probably don't have much longer. The days I have spent in this cave have been incredibly lonely without hearing your voices. I miss you both so much, and I'm very sorry for any worry my disappearance may have caused you.

To Bandit specifically, I know you're going to grow into an amazing person. Just know that no matter what happens, daddy is very proud of you. Remember that, even if I'm not there to see you through life.

I will love you both with every breath left in my body. You'll be okay without me. You’re both two of the most incredible people on this planet. Stay fighting. Never give up. Remember everything I taught you…

It was here that Gerard lost his strength. He only had time to write one last, mangled looking "G" at the end of it before he dropped the marker and slumped back into his former position, exhausted and woozy. He only hoped that whoever found them would have the decency to try and pass the message along.

Frank awoke shortly after. After some stretches and yawns, he checked on Gerard. He examined his leg and saw that the area of the injury had turned a sickly brown, cooper sort of color. He grimaced and then looked up, noticing that Gerard was asleep. He then looked up further, and jumped slightly to see the scrawled letter Gerard had written.

He read it and frowned. Poor baby. The idea that they may not make it out of here to see their daughters grow into women became more of a reality every day that they stayed here without help. He could not imagine how Gerard was feeling, being so ill in this already uncomfortable and stressful situation.

Frank looked around and saw the marker that Gerard had written it with, just a few inches away from his hand. Frank took the marker and pocketed it.

~

It was time to watch again, and Frank and Ray sat outside in the cold with nearly empty stomachs. The portions had become ridiculously small, and it was a wonder as to why they even bothered continue to have their little “eating sessions”. It was only a reminder of their threat of starvation in this god forsaken cave.

Frank turned around and saw that Mikey and Gerard were not in their usual spot against the wall. He saw them a little further back in the cave, Mikey huddled over Gerard, blocking him from view. Both curiosity and boredom overwhelmed him. He got up from his spot and told Ray that he needed to urinate.

As he turned around, he heard Ray scoff, "You're pissing in there? Why don't you go outside and do that? The last thing we need is your piss stinking up the cave."

"Fuck off." Frank scowled. "Its the only way I can go comfortably."

Ray rolled his eyes but then turned back to watching and ignored him. Frank tip toed off into a corner of the cave, trying to be unnoticed by Mikey and Gerard.

He had not needed to urinate as he had said, but instead tried to hide behind a particularly large stone. He only had wanted a small glimpse of what they were talking about.

Yet he never actually heard any words being exchanged. Just a strange occasional crunching noise. Becoming more and more puzzled, Frank struggled to crane his neck in order to see what they were doing.

Finally, uncomfortably, he managed to. Frank's jaw dropped, in disbelief at what he saw.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" Frank shrieked at Mikey and Gerard, who spun around instantly.

Frank had walked in on Mikey feeding Gerard. Understandable sure, but there was one thing wrong with that: Mikey had sworn that there was so little food, including no chips, when there appeared to be a very large abundance of food right in front of him, including a rather full looking bag of chips.

"Frankie..." Mikey shook his head, as though begging him not to explode over this as he knew he would.

Sure enough, Frank only screamed even louder. "WE FUCKING TRUSTED YOU AND YOU'VE BEEN GOING BEHIND OUR BACKS AND FEEDING HIM!"

"GERARD NEEDS THE FOOD MORE THAN YOU DO!" Mikey shrieked back.

"Oh what the fuck are you two on about now?" Ray wandered over to them, his expression one of exasperation.

"THIS LITTLE PRICK HAS BEEN FUCKING LYING TO US THIS WHOLE TIME! WE STILL HAD PLENTY OF FOOD, BUT HE'D RATHER HAVE US ALL STARVE TO DEATH THAN RISK HIS BROTHER!" Frank loudly explained.

"YOU FUCKING MORON, IF I WAS DOING THIS FOR SELFISH REASONS, I WOULD BE EATING THE FOOD MYSELF, NOT FEEDING IT TO GEE!" Mikey barked back.

"OH RIGHT SO ONCE AGAIN, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE LEAD SINGER! HE GETS ALL THE PERKS HUH?!?" Frank yelled.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!? IT'S NEVER BEEN FUCKING LIKE THAT! AND WHY ARE YOU AVOIDING USING HIS NAME? OR HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THIS IS YOUR BEST FUCKING FRIEND OF TEN FUCKING YEARS YOU'RE REFERRING TO?!?" Mikey spat.

Frank froze for a moment before screaming back, “WE WERE ALL BEST FRIENDS! YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE PLAYING FAVORITES HERE, AT THE EXPENSE OF THE PEOPLE YOU ONCE CALLED BROTHERS! WE WOULD HAVE NEVER DEPRIVED YOU OR HIM OF FOOD, WE WOULD HAVE SHA --- “

“GERARD IS DYING!” Mikey interrupted him. He said it in a rather desperate tone, and his eyes were rimmed with tears. His hands were balled into fists, and his entire being was shaking. It had taken all of his strength to say it, but it was Mikey’s final plea. His brother and best friend since the day he was born was dying, and Mikey was ready to do anything to save him.

For the fact was, Gerard had always taken care of Mikey. Even as children, Gerard would often be Mikey’s guidance and protector. Their parents would be gone off to work for most days, and Gerard would always take it upon himself to buy the groceries and cook the meals that Mikey wanted.

So now, when Gerard was sick and helpless, Mikey felt it was due time to return the favor. And if Gerard did not make it out of this alive, aside from the agony of having lost his brother, Mikey would feel as though he had failed the one person who had never failed him. He just could not let that happen.

“Mikey.” Ray stepped in, trying to approach the argument with a calm tone, “I know you want to save Gerard, okay? We all do. But… we can never help him if we’re dying ourselves. There’s no point in putting us all in danger. I mean, Gerard’s barely even eating to begin with.”

“I think… if I push him anymore… maybe he’ll…” Mikey muttered, looking down at his brother, who again seemed unaware of his surroundings.

“No, he won’t Mikey.” Ray sighed. “Gerard’s slipping, and none of us are strong enough to care for him right now. We need that food Mikes. I mean, look at us, we’re just at each other’s throats all the time because we’re cold and we’re hungry. How can we care for a dying man if we can’t even take the time to stop fucking arguing for once?”

Mikey just shook his head, looking as though he might cry again. Feeling unsympathetic, Frank glared at him and looked as though he wanted to argue further, but Ray stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder and pulling him back.

Meanwhile, Mikey went to sit by Gerard’s side, taking him into his arms. He said nothing, but only held him there, and stared at him as though he were in thought.

“C’mon Frank, lets go.” Ray nudged Frank.

“But – “ Frank was about to protest but Ray only nudged him harder.

“Lets go, I said.” Ray growled.

Frank and Ray moved to go back to their post, but not before Frank snatched the bag of chips from Gerard’s side. Ray rolled his eyes and led them back to the mouth of the cavern.

~

As Ray and Frank sat outside, they ate the potato chips hungrily. Their bellies a bit more filled, their moods and motivations increased a bit more. They talked and even joked around slightly. They did a bit of naming shapes of clouds, which had become a hobby of theirs since they arrived here, as well as tic tac toe in the sand.

It was almost time for Ray to call for a shift change, when suddenly he heard Mikey calling them from within the cavern. Ray and Frank looked at each other with slight hesitation, and shrugged.

They arrived to a distressed looking Mikey, who still had Gerard grasped in his arms. He was looking at the leg that Gerard had injured. Mikey lifted his gaze to Ray and Frank before saying, “It’s completely black.”

Ray and Frank bent down to see that Gerard’s leg had now indeed turned a very menacing looking shade of black.

“It’s necrotic.” Ray frowned after a moment of observation. “I suspected that it might come to this, but I kind of didn’t want to mention it unless I was sure.”

“Sure of what?” Mikey squeaked out, his anxiety rising.

“I don’t know how else to say this.” Ray sighed, “…If you really want to save Gerard, we have to remove his leg.”

“No.” was Mikey’s immediate reaction. “No, you can’t do that. How will he ever preform again?”

Frank scoffed at that, “He doesn’t give a shit if the rest of us starve, but he cares about whether or not Gerard can do another show.”

Ray smacked him on the shoulder and then turned back to Mikey.

“Mikey, this is a bacterial infection of the soft tissues. Its literally eating him alive. If we don’t cut his leg off now to stop the spread, he might have to lose more than just his leg later. That is, if we’re fast enough to catch it before it kills him completely. We can’t wait anymore, Mikes. We have to do this. Now.”

Mikey seemed unwilling. He gripped Gerard tightly, and then finally nodded his head.

They gave Gerard plenty of the untouched vodka to drink. He was hesitant, as he had not dranken straight vodka for a long time, let alone hot vodka. Mikey had to hold his head in a tilted position, while Frank tipped the flask into his mouth in what he hoped was a moderate pace.

They were not sure exactly when he was intoxicated enough. Once they got somewhat of nod out of him, they assumed it was safe to begin. They laid him down on the ground, Mikey sitting by his head while Ray and Frank stayed on either side of his legs.

They had to remove his pants completely, a surely humiliating experience for Gerard. Mikey was greatly relieved when he saw that Gerard was wearing underwear, as he had been unsure that he was. However the underwear was also very dirty, stained with traces of urine and unmentionable things. He knew he would have to discard the underwear from this point on, as to prevent Gerard from sitting in his own filth any longer.

The leg in all it's ominous blackness was revealed. Ray had ripped off some of his own shirt, and he wrapped the strip of cloth around the inner thigh of Gerard's injured leg.

"You got the rock?" Ray asked Frank. Frank nodded and picked up the spear like rock by his side. Mikey grimaced, looking at what they agreed to being their operative tool. He looked away from it, and titled Gerard's head slightly more towards him. His duty for the procedure was simple: make the experience as least hellish for Gerard as possible.

Meanwhile, Frank passed Ray the rock. Ray held the rock over the top of the leg, mentally taking note of where he would begin. He looked at Mikey, as to indicate that it was time. Mikey nodded his confirmation and reached down to grab Gerard's hand.

Ray began to try to dig the sharp rock into Gerard's flesh. It took a moment, but Mikey saw his brother begin to wince. Gerard tried to look down at what Ray was doing. Mikey gripped Gerard's hand harder.

"Gee.. Gee, I need you to focus on me." Mikey told him. He quickly tried to think of subjects that he could distract Gerard with. "Hey, so have you come up with anything new for the killjoy comic?"

It was essentially a stupid question, seeing as Gerard could barely even speak normally, let alone as he was having one of his limbs removed. Gerard uttered no words, but began to let out mangled screams as Ray began to cut further into his leg.

"Frank." Ray titled his head in Frank's direction, who leaned down and held down as much as e could reach. His duty was to restrain Gerard, trying to make it so he would not struggle and mess the job up.

Ray had done a surprisingly fast job of piercing through the skin, and the flesh was even easier to cut through. Gerard, however, was having a far from easy time.

His screams grew louder, piercing all of their hearts. Mikey had given up trying to distract him, knowing there was absolutely no way Gerard could be expected to ignore that. He instead simply tried to comfort him, telling him everything was going to be okay. He knew he was lying. He told Gerard all sorts of lies. "Bandit's third birthday is coming up soon, maybe we can hire some guy dressed as The Crow to be at the party." he smiled, hoping to get a chuckle from Gee. He only got an increase in the grip on his hand, which was already bone breakingly painful. Mikey sighed, "Just hold on Gee, it'll be over soon."

"I think I almost see the bone." Ray announced.

Gerard screamed bloody murder, curling into Mikey. Frank had to fight to hold him down as he began to thrash, screaming for them to stop. He looked up and saw Mikey's concern, knowing what he was thinking. "We can't go back now Mikes." Frank frowned. "We have to finish the job."

"MIKEY! PLEASE! IT HURTS!" Gerard gasped, clambering to his brother for safety. It was the most audible thing they had heard him say in what felt like ages.

"I know honey, just a little longer." Mikey stroked Gerard's hair. He then turned to Ray and asked, “Can't you go any faster?!?"

"I'm trying! I don't want to risk fucking up either!" Ray yelled, his hands already covered in Gerard's blood.

"MIKEEEYY!" Gerard sobbed, "PLEASE, MAKE THEM STOP!"

"I'm sorry Gerard. I'm so, so sorry..." Mikey found himself fighting back tears for the second time that day.

"This is for your own good Gerard!" Frank offered his condolences as he pinned down the squirming red head, "We're only trying to help you!"

"YOU'RE GOING TO FUCKING KILL ME!" Gerard shrieked.

"No, Gee, I wouldn't let that happen, alright?" Mikey assured him, "You're going to be okay Gee. Soon, this'll be all over --- and then help will come get us, and you'll see Lindsey, and Bandit, and Grant, and everyone else again. Just hold on for a little bit longer. For me."

Gerard continued to sob and scream, and Mikey continued to feed him false hope.

"RAY!" Frank barked at their surgeon.

"I GOT IT!" Ray responded. "I'm at the bone! I'll just break it in one quick hit, and after that it should be over soon."

He raised the blood soaked rock, trying to summon all his strength for a clean break. Mikey turned his attention to Gerard, again moving his face towards him.

"Gee, sweetie, I need you to focus on me right now, okay?" Mikey instructed him urgently, "I need you to take deep breaths. Hold my hand as tight as you need to. No matter how bad it feels, remember, I won't let anything happen to you."

Gerard nodded slightly, and Mikey kissed him on the forehead. He moved himself so he somewhat blocked Ray (and his leg) from view. He looked at Frank, who looked at Ray. And though Gerard could not see who said it, someone uttered the word:

"Go."

It was one of the most, if not the most horrible moment during their lives in the cavern. Gerard experienced pain so unbearable, that for a moment he actually prayed for death to take him. Anything that could end this blinding, searing pain that ripped through his entire body. He could barely even hear that Mikey was hushing him soothingly, or bring himself to focus on Mikey's face like he had agreed. All he knew was pain.

"Deep breaths." Mikey was trying to tell him, "Take deep breaths Gee.."

The reason it lasted so long was that Ray had not achieved a clean break, as he had hoped, but had to smash lingering bone even further. He struggled to work through the mess of blood, flesh, and bone that was scattered everywhere, trying to do a quick job of his work.

"I can't... I can't..." Gerard was sputtering.

Mikey was about to repeat his usual words of comfort when something startled him. He looked up to see that Frank was singing softly into Gerard's ear. Mikey had begun to wonder if Frank cared for Gerard anymore at all. As he watched the display, he could not help but feeling that he should have given Frank a bit more credit.

"I've sawed through the bone." Ray sighed. "I'll just rip through the rest of the flesh real quick, then it'll be all over."

Ray held his breath, now feeling slightly intoxicated by the smell of blood. He placed the rock to the flesh and muscle of the back of his leg and began to rip through it quickly. Gerard's screams renewed in their volume.

"Shhh...shhh...it okay Gee, we're almost done bro." Mikey stroked his brother, his hand now numb from Gerard's grip.

Frank had to pretty much straddle Gerard's waist to restrain his movement as Ray finished the job. Ray sawed through the rest of the flesh rapidly, until finally, the tip of the stone reached the floor of the cavern.

"Its done." Ray said as he stood up quickly, walking to the mouth of the cave and blowing chunks into the desert sand. Frank frowned, guessing Ray probably had to fight the urge to vomit for quite some time. They were all a little nauseous, although it was difficult to pinpoint whether it was the overpowering stench of blood, or their sobbing friend that made it so.

"Take Gerard and give him some water." Frank instructed Mikey, "Ray and I will clean up over here."

Mikey nodded and scooped Gerard up, allowing Gerard to bury his face in his chest as he continued to cry loudly. Mikey took them to the back of the cave, leaving Frank to gaze at the fleshy pieces that was once his best friend's leg.

~

They all waited anxiously to see if Gerard would get any better after the leg amputation. To their dismay, he only seemed to disintegrate further. Soon enough, Gerard seemed to have lost all vocal ability.

"Oh god, oh god, we've killed him!" Mikey panicked, regretting that they had removed the leg to begin with.

"Don't be silly." Ray argued. He frowned at Gerard's blank expression. "The infection may have already spread to other parts of his body, before we cut off the leg. If anything, we should have just done it sooner."

Mikey sighed miserably and adjusted the blanket that covered Gerard. They had kept him bundled in the blanket since the procedure. This was less for reasons that have to do with temperature, and more to do with them not wanting Gerard to have to look at the stump where a leg should have been. Although no one could really know how he felt about that, as he had not said a word.

Gerard had cried the entire night after the severing. When he eventually calmed down, he was strangely silent. Mikey could tell that it hadn't been the "I don't feel like talking" kind of silent. No, something was wrong. It was just their luck that Gerard did not seem to be able to tell them what that something was.

"Mikey." he heard Ray say beside him. Mikey snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the guitarist. Ray nodded over to the mouth of the cave, where a small silhouette could be seen curled up on the sand.

Frank. Mikey had not spoken to Frank since their last fight, where Frank had caught Mikey sneaking food to Gerard. However Ray had kept watch for quite some time, and Mikey knew it was his turn to sit outside, while Ray got some well-deserved rest.

Mikey frowned and leaned over Gerard, wiping some strands of cherry red hair from his face. "I have to go keep watch now, okay? Ray's going to stay with you."

No response. Mikey waited for a little bit longer before giving up and walking to the cavern opening.

He sat a rather far distance from Frank, as he did not know whether or not Frank wanted to speak to him. Sure enough, Frank avoided eye contact for some time.

They sat in an awkward silence for a while before Mikey finally spoke up, no longer able to handle the tension.

"Hey, sooo..." Mikey trailed off, slightly regretting having even started. Frank turned his head to him, waiting for Mikey to continue. "...that song you were singing earlier. To Gerard. What song was that?"

If it was not so dark out, Mikey would have seen Frank blush slightly. Frank hadn't though anyone had heard him over Gerard's screaming.

"It was Don't You Cry by Kamelot. Wasn't the most appropriate song for the moment, but it's a song we both like." Frank shrugged. "I couldn't really think of what else to do."

"Well, I think you did calm him down a bit. I'm sure he appreciates it." Mikey nodded, "I have to say I'm a bit surprised. I thought you were upset at Gerard."

"I was never mad at Gerard. Just you." Frank said bluntly. Mikey winced at the direct mannerism that was classic Frank Iero.

"…I'm sorry for what I did." Mikey hung his head. "It wasn't right of me to lie, and I know that. I just... I just wanted to save Gee so bad, you know? I saw how weak he was getting, and it scared me. I kept thinking, what if he doesn't make it? I don't know if I could go on through life without him. If he doesn't make it, I don't think that I can either…”

“Yes you can, Mikey.” Frank said in a stern voice. “I’m sure Gerard would tell you the same thing.”

“You don’t know that.” Mikey argued.

“A few years ago, I would have doubted it maybe.” Said Frank, “But you really need to give yourself more credit. I mean look at how you’ve grown. Seeing you now, I’m absolutely sure you can take the world head on, all on your own. You don’t need Gerard, or me, or Ray, or anyone. You ARE strong enough.”

Mikey only shook his head. He wanted to believe the words Frank was telling him, but doubt stirred at the pit of his stomach. Quite frankly, the world seemed like a big, scary place without Gerard by his side. He would never know what to do, because he had never been without him before.

Frank stared at Mikey for a while, but he stayed quiet for some time after that. He could see by his eyes that he was lost in thought. Frank turned away and left him to contemplate, beginning to do some contemplating of his own.

He missed Jamia and his babies so much, it was like having some constant bad stomachache. True, the guys always spent long periods away from their families, being on tour all the time. Yet even then, they would all always make sure to give their wives a phone call or talk through some form of web chat every single day. Just to let them know that they were still there, and that they were doing okay. Frank had no idea how Jamia was, but he certainly was not okay.

What if they never made it back?

Frank thought of Cherry and Lily. If he failed in coming back to them, he would be condemning them to life without never really knowing their father. While many people nowadays had a single parent upbringing, Frank knew that the statistics did not make it any more difficult. His own mother had died of leukemia when he was young, and he had been deprived of ever knowing her. It created frustration in him from time to time, even if he knew it was not her fault. His father would often describe his mom as a wonderful person. Suddenly, Frank had the image of Jamia sitting on the couch, with Cherry and Lily both on her lap. She showed them a picture of him, and told them, “Your father was a great man, who had a very kind heart. He loved music, and played guitar very well. And he loved you both very, very much.”

Tears welled up in Frank’s eyes, and looked away even though he knew Mikey would not be able to see him cry in the darkness. Just like Frank had not been able to see that Mikey was silently crying too.

They both sat, one concerned about letting go of the past; the other, worried about an uncertain future. And then finally, something snapped them both out of their contemplative states. Mikey and Frank both looked up at the black canvas that was the night sky simultaneously.

It had begun to rain. 

Rain is typically a welcomed thing in a hot atmosphere. However, it is very unwelcome if your means of shelter happens to have a few holes in it ceiling. This was the case for Mikey, Gerard, Ray, and Frank.

What started as a drizzle very rapidly became an on pour overnight. The heavy rain dropped in through the cavern ceiling as if there was not one at all. Not only did this make the surrounding area uncomfortable, but it posed a large threat, as the cavern itself was relatively shallow. Thunder soon followed, along with its comrade known as lighting. It was the strangest freak storm any of them had ever seen. To Ray, it almost felt as though nature was literally trying to throw them out of the cave.

The ground became wet and muddy. The food became soggy, although all of it was stale by then anyway. The only blanket they had was taken by the neediest member of their group, who could no longer speak. It was a very sad situation indeed.

The moment for apologies had been short lived. As the situation worsened, tempers began to rise once more.

"C'mon, Gee..." Mikey frowned as he tried to stuff some food into his brother's unwilling mouth, only to have it come spilling down his front. "Please, you haven't eaten in two days!" He pleaded, the pitch of his voice rising.

Mikey saw Ray walk over to them and suddenly, he snatched the food from his hand. Ray shoved Mikey out of the way, and he grabbed Gerard's jaw, yanking it down painfully. He stuffed the food inside Gerard's mouth and then forced his mouth closed. Ray then tilted Gerard's head upward and applied pressure on his throat, stroking it in an attempt to force him to swallow.

"Don't hurt him!" Mikey screeched at Ray, who did not respond.

Although Frank had said earlier that he had not been mad at Gerard, Mikey knew there was an animosity growing towards Gerard for taking most of the supplies. This caused Mikey to grow somewhat of a mistrust towards the other two. Paranoia caused him to wonder whether or not Ray or Frank might murder Gerard, in order to save the rest of the supplies.

As for Gerard himself, he was not getting any better. It was difficult to tell what exactly was wrong without any sort of medically knowledgeable person around. Although Frank was more than willing to share his opinion at every moment possible.

"He's brain dead." Frank would declare after staring at Gerard for some time.

"He is not!" Mikey growled defensively, his arms wrapping around Gerard as though they were physically attacking him.

"Well Mikey..." Ray sighed, "You have to admit, he hasn't even moved."

It was true. Gerard's mouth gaped open slightly, and his arms were limp at his hands. If he hadn't been breathing, anyone could have easily mistaken Gerard for a dead man. Yet Mikey still refused to believe it, in what Ray and Frank saw as desperate denial. Mikey saw it however, as Ray and Frank's attempts to convince Mikey to discard his brother.

It had finally gotten to the point where neither party could hear the other out, without feeling as though there was some sort of ulterior motive.

“I’m hungry, toss me the salad yeah?” Mikey asked at another point, his stomach growling. Instead, he felt something much smaller fall into his hands.

“Suck on a ketchup packet.” Frank told him.

“But I’m hungry!” Mikey yelled over another thunder roll.

“Yeah, well so was I before you gave all the food to Gerard!” Frank snapped at him, “We all know that’s just what you’re going to do if I give you the salad anyway. There’s only one left.”

Mikey was about to argue, but he backed down and opened the small packet of ketchup, sucking on it hungrily. He had betrayed his friends, and so was his punishment. It was even more punishing that his betrayal had been for nothing. Despite all the food Mikey had snuck him, Gerard had not gotten any better.

Despite what Mikey may have thought neither Frank nor Ray were really the “bad guys” in this situation, of course. Any man would become slightly selfish, when all their food and comforts had been taken by a man who had lied and betrayed them before. They felt as though sitting ducks for an unspeakable fate, trapped there by someone who was long gone. And while they had both always loved Gerard dearly, they had families who they also loved, and who they both missed sorely.

Meanwhile, the water became so heavy that the boys found themselves up to their ankles in mud and rain. Watching for help had become long forgotten, as they finally realized the truth.

Help was never coming.

The rest of their time in the cave was spent huddled inside, trying to protect themselves from the rain. Although it became clear that the cave might have been the problem itself. The rest of the terrain outside did not look so bad. It was due to the cave’s enclosed space that they ran the risk of drowning in it, all their supplies becoming drenched in the process.

It was when the water had almost reached their knees, that Ray finally said, or more like screamed, “WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!”

Mikey asked the question they all knew he would ask. “What about Gerard?”

To that was a response that they all knew had been coming for a very long time.

“We have to leave him, Mikey.”

~

Frank, Mikey, and Ray found themselves facing the same argument that they had at the beginning of their ordeal: to leave, or not to leave. This time however, two things were different. One, was that by sticking around, they ran the risk of drowning. Two, was that if they were to leave, they would be leaving behind a bit more than a cave and some rocks. Gerard lay silent, perched against the wall as his three bandmates argued with one another in front of him.

"You can't seriously expect me to just leave my brother to rot here!" Mikey flung his arms into the air.

"We don't really have a choice in the matter, Mikey!" Frank frowned.

"Can we carry him with us?" Ray proposed.

"He's too much dead weight!" said Frank. "If were going to ever make it home, we can't risk exhausting ourselves by carrying him!"

"How dare you!" Mikey scolded him, "My brother is the fucking reason your ass is as wealthy and famous as you are, and he's just fucking dead weight to you now?!?"

"Okay first of all, he would never have gotten where he was in life without all our help! But that's besides the point Mikes, you know I don't mean it like that!" Frank sniped.

"This whole stupid fucking band was his idea!" Mikey said stubbornly, "We would have never had gotten together had he not called us! He had faith in you! He fucking loved you --- "

"And I loved him, Mikey!" Frank interrupted, "I loved him more than you will ever know! But I am not so selfish as to let that get in the way of Ray going home to Christa, or you going home to Alicia! Are you really going to risk Cherry and Lily never seeing their father again, because you were too selfish to let go of a corpse?"

Mikey shook his head, "You don't understand." he said shakily.

"Oh I understand Mikey. I know how much you loved Gerard." Frank told him. His voice had softened, but he spoke with such a serious tone that it cause both Mikey and Ray to freeze. "But what about Alicia? Haven't you two ever talked about having babies one day? Maybe moving into a nice house with her, starting your own family? Imagine how heartbroken she would be, if she was forced to move on without you. Even if she found some other man, she will always remember that it was you she was supposed to be sharing that nice house or that baby with, not some guy she barely knows! She is your wife Mikey, you vowed to her that you would always take care of her on your wedding day! Gerard might be your brother, but eventually everyone has to let go of the family they knew growing up, and begin a family of their own! Just like Gerard did with you!"

"No!" Mikey shook his head again, his hands balling into fists.

"Yes!" Frank went on, seeing that Mikey was visibly breaking, "Gerard moved on with Lindsay and Bandit! He barely called anyone after B was born! He moved on from you, Mikey! It's damn well time that you do the same! Not only for Ray, or Christa, or Jamia, or Cherry or Lily, or me, but for yourself!"

"GERARD NEEDS ME!" Mikey screamed, not acknowledging anything Frank was saying.

"THE GERARD YOU KNOW IS GONE MIKEY! HE IS GONE!", it was Ray's turn to yell this time.

Suddenly, Frank turned to Gerard. He knelt down and waved his hands in front of Gerard's face.

"Gerard, if you can hear me, move something. Blink. Anything at all." Frank told him slowly and clearly. Mikey and Ray watched, but all Gerard did was stare and be still.

Frank looked up at Mikey and said, "Well, there you go."

Mikey was on the verge of tears. For the most part he continued to protest in gibberish. "I can't.. I can't..." he repeated.

Frank stood and grabbed him firmly by the shoulders. He looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Yes, you can Mikey. It's just like I told you. You can face the world without him. Gerard would tell you the same thing. We need to go. Think of Alicia."

And Mikey did think of Alicia. He thought of her staring up at a white, two story picket fence home like she had always wanted. Yet she was alone, and thinking of him. He thought of her pregnant, with what should be his child. For as Frank had said, they had indeed discussed a child many times in recent years. And it was time to move on. He knew what he had to do -- for all of them.

A few teardrops finally fell from his eyes, although the rain disguised his face to be expressionless. Finally, he bent down to face his brother. His best friend who had taken care of him for so many years looked back at him with a dead expression. Yet it was the same face Mikey had come to know so well.

"I'm so sorry Gerard." Mikey said as he raked a hand through Gerard's hair. "I love you so much."

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Frank and Ray already packing up whatever supplies could be spared. Mikey placed a tender kiss on Gerard's forehead. His lips lingered slightly on his skin, and Mikey remembered when they were children, and Mikey used to kiss Gerard sweetly on the forehead whenever he came down with a cold or a flu. A feeling of doubt rose up in him again.

"Mikey." Ray suddenly spoke, perhaps seeing Mikey's hesitation. Mikey nodded and got up, forcing himself to look at Gerard no longer. Ray and Frank did not say any sort of goodbye, but both took a last look at their singer and beloved friend, before a mighty roar of thunder pushed them forward. They walked away together, into the unknown.

It was once they were long gone that the water was nearly up to Gerard's shoulders. He stared straight ahead, where his letter to Lindsay and Bandit was written on the wall.

Quietly, he whispered, "I love you too, Mikey." before the filthy water finally reached his chin.

The last thing he saw were the words he had written, as they became smeared and indistinguishable by the rain.

Meanwhile, televisions all over the country were broadcasting news reports about a heavy rainstorm that had befallen Death Valley. News reporters told of how four people had gone missing just a few weeks ago, and how help had been unable to find them due to a raging brush fire started by a single cigarette.

However the rain had finally extinguished this uncontrollable fire, and all roads were finally open once more.


End file.
